Question: Why does your business need a backup air compressor?
Answer:
Two compressors are two compressors, right? Wrong
When your business depends on compressed air can you really be without? Having a second compressor can come in handy and keep your business always up and running. The configuration of the second unit can be as a stand-by machine, or as a redundant unit with your other compressor, or as a backup if your main compressor goes down.
Backup compressor
Think of a backup air compressor as your insurance policy. It is there just in case you need it. Without a backup compressor available for immediate use, your production, time, and of course your money in the short-term can be affected. All of these can be very harmful to the business’ bottom line.
Stand-by compressor
A standby compressor is readily available in case an unexpected event occurs or if an increase of production occurs, your standby compressor will kick on. Your standby compressor will only come on when needed, bringing standby compressors on-line incrementally during periods of peak demand.
Have you heard of the term “lead-lag”? With two compressors in the system, one compressor can be set as the lead machine, and the other as the lag machine. When the pressure drops to a certain point on the lead compressor, the lag compressor will then take over.
Redundant compressor
‘Redundancy’ is a term often used in the air compressor world. The word redundancy means that a second compressor is operating in parallel with the primary compressor and both are sharing the demand.
Should the primary unit fail, the second unit takes the full service. This ensures your operation is never without compressed air.
Advantages of having two air compressors
- Having a second compressed air machine allows for maintenance to be done at any time.
- Never have your business offline with downtime due to a compressor.
- Do you need a replacement part for your compressor? Now you have more downtime waiting for that to come in. Having a second machine won’t make you sweat while waiting.
- Tip: As your business grows and your air demands increase, if you get a new, bigger compressor, then you can use the old compressor for a backup.
Consider investing in a second machine as a strong investment with a great ROI. Even if your air compressor is brand new – you never know when it can fail for any reason, at any time, no matter what brand or size it is. Regrettably, that is the way it is with any piece of man-made machinery.
Now, let us ask you again, “Why does your business need a backup air compressor?” It’s because there’s no situation where your business won’t hurt without one.
Information provided by Chicago Pneumatic
